Changeling
by Wings Of Sanguine
Summary: On a mission to collect the Tesseract for Torchwood purposes, Captain Jack Harkness is shot by Fury, then resurrected in front of Bruce Banner and Tony Stark. Of course, this action has caught the attention of Loki, who now vows to use Jack to reach his own goal: immortality. (DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TORCHWOOD OR THE AVENGERS)
1. Chapter 1

Jack poised the gun, cocking the barrel so it was an inch from is nose. A microphone in his ear allowed him to contact Tosh if he rely need, but at this point he wasn't exactly sure. It didn't look like anything was going to happen at the moment, although that was what Tosh's surveillance cameras had said.

"I really hope that you're right about this, Tosh," Jack muttered to himself. Everywhere were people, so it was going to be hard to be inconspicuous. Then again, what Torchwood did wasn't always the most normal. In fact they were beyond normal.

"You can put that gun away, sir," said a deep void behind him, Turning slowly, he found himself face to face with a man, bald, n eyepatch over his left eye. His visible eye was narrowed in suspiscion. Jack looked him up and down, a coy grin on his face.

"Trench coats and eyepatches usually don't work for me," Jack said, turning on a megawatt sole, "but I can make this one exception."

"You better leave my facility now," the man ordered, not being blown away with his flattery as other people had been.

"That usually worked," Jack mumbled to himself, his face going red.

"Yeah, well, you better get your white ass working out that door before I do it for you," the man threatened. Jack rolled his eyes- he didn't have time to be threatened by some pirate wannabe. He was sent to meet Saergent Fury, and he and to do it quick because… well, Toshiko hadn't said why, but he had to get there quickly nonetheless.

"Listen, Blackbeard," Jack said, "I need to get to Fury and immediately. I don't have time to waste with you." The man raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Really now?" he asked tentatively, "because if you're looking for Fury, guess what?"

"Let me guess," Jack said, "it's you?" He nodded, clasping his hands in front of him.

"Lucky guess," Fury said, "so what is it you need, son?" Jack scoffed.

"Don't call me son," Jack said, "as far as you know, I'm way older then you ever will be." Fury cracked his knuckles and Jack took a hesitant step back, clutching the gun so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"I can call you whatever I want," Fury said, "and i need to know why you need me and why you infiltrated my facility."

"What if I tell you that information is classified?" Jack teased, a sly grin on his face.

"Then i'll force you and keep you as prisoner in the lab," Fury threatened, his eyes shooting daggers at the man. Jack scoffed, letting out a chuckle.

"You don't believe me?" Fury cocked his head. Jack shrugged.

"You my friend, are very funny," Jack took a few steps back, keeping hold of the gun. Fury jutted his chin at the weapon, withdrawing a gun of his own.

"You might want to put that away," Fury warned. Jack shook his head.

"I might not," he countered, taking aim. Sighing, Fury raised the gun, a small red laser dot appearing on Jack's chest. Jack laughed, "Sniper aim? Really? You might want to-" He was stopped mid sentence as Fury pulled the trigger, smoke leaking out of the barrel.

"I warned you," Fury said simply as Agent Coulson approached, reaching down to check for a pulse.

"Dead, sir," Coulson confirmed, the lights shining on his bald pate. Fury nodded.

"Take him tot eh lab for Banner to examine. Run an autopsy just to be sure," Fury ordered. Nodding, Coulson picked up Jack by the arms, dragging him towards the lab. His head lolled tot eh side, eyes closed, lips parted slightly. Shaking his head, Fury stalked away.

"Everyone back to work!" he ordered, and everyone who had been watching the ordeal quickly went back to whatever they were doing or at least trying to make it look s if they were doing something- Fury was not pleasant if you got on his bad side.


	2. Chapter 2

Toshiko banged the keyboard, Owen peering over her shoulder, the light illuminating his long thin face, his full lips that made him- in Toshiko's opinion- look somewhat like a frog.

"Do you at least have his signal tracked?" Owen asked. Toshiko nodded.

"Yeah, but for some reason it disappeared," she said, and he isn't answering his phone. Owen reach dingo his pocket to produce a phone of his own, flipping it open and punching the keys.

"Whata re you doing?" Toshiko asked, keeping her eyes not eh screen in case anything popped up.

"Calling JAck, that's what," Owen said snakily, holding the device to his ear, "because he has to listen to someone, right?" Toshiko shrugged. The only person Jack ever seemed to listen to was himself- and sometimes Gwen, but rarely.

"Are Gwen and into here today?" Toshiko asked, "I didn't see them com win for work earlier." Owen shrugged.

"Gwen will probably come late like always and i really don't give a damn about whether or not Ianto shows up at all." Toshiko smirked, scrolling through what seemed to be digital codes. "What are you doing?"

"The institution he broke into- it was S.H.I.E.L.D, correct?" Tosh asked. Owen nodded, the phone ringing loudly.

"Yeah, why?"

"They have a security system of their own that shuts down automatically when someone breaks in as a safety precaution," Toshiko explained, "so that's probably why we can't see jack on eh security cameras at the moment." As soon s the words left her lips, the screen flickered and an image of a labaraotr popped up, the people inside looking like bugs as they moved around. Owen pointed to one at a table

"Zoom in on that one there," he said. Double clicking, Tosh blew up an image of an older manx in a white lab coat, a purple shirt underneath. He was holding a flashlight, flicking it on and off as if he were nervous. About what though?

"Who is that?" Toshiko asked, squinting as the man moved around on camera, another coming into view. This one was a bit shorter, wearing a plain t-shirt, a pair of sunglasses perched n his head.

"And him?" Owen pointed to the second man, "who is he?" Toshiko shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Toshiko said, "can you run them up on the records?" Owen ambled over to his own desk, opening a laptop. immediately, he began typing, his fingers almost a blur as he suddenly punched the keys, exclaiming, "Aha! Found them!"

"Well, ins tea dog getting excited about it, tell me!" Toshiko said.

"Alright, the first one is a Doctor Bruce Banner," Owen said, carrying his laptop over to her, scrolling through a pageful of information, "he uh, had this weird accident with a gamma radiation experiment." Toshiko nodded, taking the laptop from Owen, scrolling through once more.

"And what happened to him after?' she asked, "because judging on this, eh should have died from all tat exposure." Owen sighed, rubbing his cheek.

"Whenever he gets angry," Owen said, "he turns into, well, not really an alien…" Toshiko raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Well, what does he turn into?" she asked.

"A big green…. _thing_," Owen said, for lack of a better explanation. Toshiko opened her mouth, then closed it.

"So…." she finally said, "he turns into a monster?" Owen nodded.

"Something like that," he said, clicking s few buttons, "Look at that. Called the Battle of New York." A video popped up not eh screen, showcasing a giant green monster in ripped purple pants ripping up what poked like metal worms, although they were probably aliens.

"So, he saved a city from an alien attack?" Toshiko concluded. Owen nodded, "And that's not all," he continued, "he had help. From a team called The Avengers."

"Avengers?"

"They're kinda like us, only we're cooler nd have better costumes," Owen joked with a grin. Toshiko shrugged.

"Who else is on this team besides Doctor Banner?" Toshiko pressed.

"Well, they all ahem codenamed, y' see. Banner becomes a thing called The Hulk," Owen explained, "the the other guy in the video? His name is Tony Stark, creator of Stark Enterprises, making weapons, of all things. Codename is Iron Man." Owen pointed to the image of Stark on the camera, "see that glowing thing in his chest?"

"What about it?"

"That is what's keeping him alive," Owen said. Toshiko gaped, covering her mouth with her hand, her nails perfectly manicured. Owen nodded, "yeah, he was hooked up to a car engine for about a year, somewhere int eh Middle East trying to escape from terrorists."

"Well, he looks great for whatever happened to him" Toshiko commented, "but who else is not eh team?"

"There is the leader- Nick Fury, leader of S.H.I.E.L.D.- and don't ask me what that is. Someone obviously just really wanted the initials to spell shield, for some reason, the bloody wankers," Owen went on, "anyway, besides him is two assassins-"

"Is this even real?" Toshiko cut in.

"- Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton, better known as Hawkeye and Black Widow. And last but not least, Thor, God of Thunder and the super soldier Captain America." Toshiko let out a laugh, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she smiled.

"Okay, that last one is really lame, no offense," she said between giggles. Owen cracked a smile, crossing his arms.

"Didn't i tell you? these guys, based off the video footage, look like fucking amateurs compared to us," Owen agreed. Toshiko shrugged.

"So Jack is with these Avengers and doing what, exactly?"

"Trying to bring the Tesseract back where it belongs," Owen said.

"And where is that, exactly?"

"Here, in the Torchwood labs," Owen answered, "he's going to try to convince Fury to let him bring it here for testing before it goes back with Thor to Asgard- whatever that is." Toshiko nodded. It all sounded completely insane- Who had their own superhero team anyway? _That's kind of like what we are though,_ she thought, _but instead of New York we protect Cardiff, England_.

"Well, how come we can't pick up Jack?" Toshiko asked, "he's there right now, isn't he?"

"They probably took him in for questioning, made him give up the communication and tracking devices," Owen said, "wanting to be cautious and all, but it really is just plain stupid if you ask me."

"Americans tend to be overly cautious," toshiko said. owen nodded in silent agreement then said, "So I'll try to keep track of him best i can whir you watch the monitors? I highly doubt we'll pick him up for a while though," Owen suggested. Toshiko nodded.

"Good idea," she said, turning her attention back to the screen, watching the video of the Avengers for the second time. They seemed to look like a team but were really scattered- they didn't even carry any communication devices in case one of them was in trouble.

"Posers, are what you people are," Toshiko muttered to herself as she rewinded the video for a third time, watching the Hulk rip into the metal alloys of an exotic alien creature, it's screams echoing front eh tinny speakers.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony whistled as he watched Coulson drag in a body, Bruce banner going to help.

"here did you find this little artifact, huh?" Tony joked as the agent and the doctor grunted, lifting the body onto the table. Tony inspected the man who was now lying not eh operation table: dark hair, a pro of full lips, parted slightly, eyes framed with fairly thick lashes.

"He tried breaking in for Fury," Agent Coulson explained, wiping sweat from his forehead- it was rally hard dragging a dead body, after all- "and he wasn't complying, so Fury shot him."

"Yeah shot him dead," Tony smirked, leaning not eh operation table to get a closer look at the man, "who is he?" Coulson shrugged.

"Don't know for sure," he answered, " he could be one of our guys, but it wouldn't make sense for him to break into his own building-"

"He could be one of your guys?" Tony interjected, "so you really have no idea? How many people even work here?!"

"- or he could be a spy, trying to break in for top secret information and the like," Coulson ignored Tony's comment, going on about who or what the guy could be. Half of the ideas were completely insane and they all knew that some of them just were not possible in the first place.

"So… shall we do an autopsy?" Bruce suggested, shrugging his shoulders as he pulled out a pair of rubber gloves from a package on a nearby desk, pulling them on. Tossing one to Tony, he said, "Um, we'll have to put our findings in your records, right? For analysis or what have you?" Coulson gave a curt node, swiveling on his heel dn exited the lab, the door sliding closed behind him. The gloves snapped as Tony pulled them on, wiggling his fingers.

"Shall we get digging then?" he joked Bruce cracking a smile as he layer out an expanse of tools- scalpels, drills, mirrors, anything that was available. Carefully, he picked up a scalpel, the metal gleaming under the lights, then tossed ti to tony, who caught it between his fingers, twirling it like a pencil.

"So, we'll have to do bloodwork if we want to figure out who this guy is," Bruce said. Tony nodded to the hole in his chest, the bullet wound.

"Shouldn't we take that bullet out first?" he asked. Bruce nodded- he often had trouble focusing, so it ws likely he missed the fact that the man had been shot.

"Yeah, we probably should do that," he agreed, going to lean over the bullet hole, scalpel and tweezers in hand to dig it out. Tony, meanwhile, was moving the head from side to side, inspecting the skin for any wounds or bruises.

"I'm telling you right now," Tony commented, "If I were gay, I would totally do this guy, you know what I'm saying?" Bruce chuckled.

"But you have Miss Potts, remember?" Bruce joked, "or do you have a sudden bout of amnesia?" Tony laughed.

"Yeah, pepper would get mad," he said with a friendly smile, pressing his fingers against the man's neck, "Just to make sure, the guy has no pulse."

"That's kinda why he's here, Mr. Stark," Banner said as he leaned over the wound, holding the mirror inches between his face and the body.

"Just thought I would make sure," Tony said, "you can never be too careful, you know?" As Tony got put o retrieve a flashlight to look inside, neither he nor banner noticed it.

The body's lip had twitched slightly, head lolling to the side.

"Now," Tony said, approaching the wound, flashlight poised for action, "where am I shining this thing?" Bruce guided his arm so he was right above the hole, a few inches from the mirror her held.

"Just keep it there," Bruce said simply, leaning over the body once again, "it looks like the bullet went in deep." Dried blood outlined the hole itself, the red becoming crusty and brown against the dark blue of the trench coat.

"Alright, well, let me know when you want to switch, alright?" Tony said, biting his lip, "because digging through bodies is something i've always wanted to do." Bruce gave him a quizzical look.

"Was that something I heard come out of your mouth?" he laughed.

"Just dig, man," Tony said, turning his attention back to the job at hand. While they were focusing on the wound though, they didn't noticed the fingers twitch slightly, slide ever so slowly across the metal table.

"Alright, move the flashlight slightly to the left-" The fingers flexed.

"Cn't you see it fine when it's over here?"

"Yes, well, do you ant to get the bullet out or not?" The hand was now clenching and unclenching- but of course, they were to enrolled in what they were doing to notice.

"Alright, alright," Tony moved the light ever so slightly, rolling his eyes.

"I'm gonna need new tweezers," Banner said, picking up the mirror and holding it right against the body, "these are not working for me." Tony scoffed.

"and you decided this when you were fingers deep in muscle and guts?" he chuckled, walking over to retrieve a new pair for his lab partner. While he searched through the tools, Banner had extracted the tweezer, wiping the blood off on his lab coat. The fingers on the hand were now splayed out, shaking slightly. All of a sudden, Tony heard a small moan, although it was too faint to be clear. It might have been his or Banner's stomach's grumbling for all he knew.

"Getting hungry, huh?" Tony asked.

"What do you mean?" Banner asked, placing the mirror and tweezers back on the table. Tony scowled- Bruce had a habit of not cleaning the supplies fully, "Now we have to disinfect everything all over again!"

"It's gonna be used again anyway," Banner shrugged off Tony's complaint, "and besides, Fury doesn't care what we do in the lab. He never even comes in here except to tell us when we have to fight aliens." Tony was about to answer, when the noise came again, louder this time.

"Are you sure you aren't hungry or something?" Banner hook his head, picking up a bigger scalpel, the metal gleaming in his hand.

"No," he said, "why do you ask? Are you hungry?"

"I swear i could hear it," Tony muttered, "I'm probably just imagining things though." Then it came again. Both scientist froze on the spot, clutching some sort f medical instrument. They exchanged nervous glances.

"I definitely heard that," Bruce agreed with Tony. Just as Tony was about to open his mouth there was a sharp inhale of breath, although he knew it wasn't Banner- the man was standing right on front of him and his mouth was clamped shut, eyes wide with surprise.

"What was that?" Banner asked. Warily, Tony turned. The body was still lying on the table, and it was totally not possible that it was the one breathing. Bruce gave him a strange look, "The man is dead, there is no way he would be able to-"

Halfway through his explanation, the body suddenly lurched, chest heaving as the dead man pushed himself upright. Since it was rushed and poorly executed, he fell of the examination table, mouth agape as he gasped for air, sweat beading on his face.

"….breathe," banner finished nervously, gulping down his statement.

"Really?" Tony mocked in a panic, "then why did it just fucking move?!" He held one of the scalpels out in front of him like a sword, ready to slash if he needed to.

"I- I don't know!" Banner stammered as he took a cautious step towards the man, "l-lucky shot?"

"H sis lucky, alright," Tony agreed in exasperation, "because he should be dead!" The man was on his hands and knees now, gasping for breath as if he were a fish out of water, cheeks puffing as he inhaled and exhaled quickly. Slowly, he tried standing, using the examination table for support, his hands shaking violently.

"Sweet Lord…" Banner mumbled.

"…. of the Rings…." Tony added on in astonishment, watching as the man leaned his head back, rolling his shoulders back and forth, cracking his knuckles. He was still breathing quite heavily, although it wasn't as forceful as before. The bullet was still in his chest though. Turning, the man looked taken aback at seeing the two scientists staring at him in wonder.

"Oh!" he said cheerfully, a smile spreading on his face, "didn't see you there!"

"Sure…" Tony swallowed nervously, adam's apple bobbing.

"Sorry about that," he apologized, "it took a little longer then expected, you know?" Carefully, the two men took a few steps back, Bruce knocking int the cart in the process, the wheels squeaking as it rolled a few feet back behind them. The man raised an eyebrow, "Is everything alright?"

"Stark, we should notify Fury," Banner said out of the corner of his mouth. Tony nodded.

"Most definitely," he agreed. The man put his hands on his hips, widening his stance.

"Listen," he cleared his throat.

"No, no!" Bruce cut in, holding a hand out in front of him, "we need to bring you in for questioning, because….. what the hell?!"

"What, never seen anyone come back to life?" the man scoffed.

"No, actually," Tony shrugged, then realized, "actually need mind, I have. But he was stuck in a block of ice forty years after World War Two." The man nodded, licking his lips.

"Whatever," he said, "anyway-"

"Who are you?" Banner asked defensively.

"Captain Jack Harkness," he answered matter-of-factly, "and yourself? Wait don't answer that. I already know. Doctor Banner and Tony Stark, correct?"

"How…?"

Jack tapped his temple gently, "I have extensive files on everyone around the world, as eel as my colleagues at Torchwood, so…. yeah. That's how."

"Torchwood?" Tony asked, "what is that?"

"Nothing of your concern, my friend," Jac grinned, shoving his hands in his coat pockets, "now would you mind showing me the way out? I really need to get bak to the ol' HQ."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but we assure you, you aren't going anywhere-" Bruce threatened, stopping short as Jack rolled his eyes, groaning with boredom.

"Why does everyone always have to say that?" he muttered to himself. Tony cocked his head in confusion- he got that that often, huh?

"Well, look at you!" Tony blurted, pointing in Jack's direction. Jack smirk, a coy smile spreading across his face.

"I do look good, don't I?" Jack said, then shook his head, adding "Whatever, listen, i don't have time to waste with you two trying to rip me apart. I need to get the blue cube Toshiko was talking about and get back to HQ."

"Toshiko?" Bruce asked, "is that some sort of car brands now?" Tony shrugged.

"Maybe," he said, placing the scalpel back on the table, "I mean, they have all sorts of cars nowadays-"

"No! Toshiko is a person- one of my colleagues at Torchwood! Now shut up or I will shoot!"

"How did we go from cars to shooting?" Tony asked as Jack suddenly whipped out a gun, silver and extremely futuristic looking by his standards, "What model is that?"

"A De-Mat gun, my friend, from the fifty first century," JAck said simply, placing his finger on the trigger. The barrel began to glow a soft blue, and Tony noticed it was the same color s the Tesseract- _Was that the blue cube he mentioned? _

"And what does a De-Mat gun do" Bruce asked nervously, swallowing hard.

"Rips a hold in the fabric of space and matter so i can escape," JAck explained with a laugh, then pointed it at the floor. Immediately, a square hole appeared in the floor of the lab and JAck gave a small wave before jumping, his yell echoing off the wall, leaving the two scientists to stare at it in wonder, unsure of what to do next.

"D-Do we follow him?" Tony asked meekly.

"We should warn Fury," Bruce answered, "because that guy is definitely an interesting specimen."

"He had really nice hair too," Tony added, more to himself then Bruce, although it didn't really matter at this point. They still had a hole to fix.


	4. Chapter 4

Gwen Cooper had just walked into the Torchwood institute when Jack suddenly flashed by, the hem of his long navy blue trench coat flying behind him like a cape. For a minute she stood in the corridor, stunned into complete silence as she stared after him, even when he and turned the corner. Hoisting her bag up higher on her arm, she shook her head.

"I really need to get used to this job," she said to herself as she began walking again. Everything about the job was weird- even the people she worked with, all of them keeping some sort of secret until it became a web, confusing and tiresome. As she entered the lab, she noticed all the computers up and running, Toshiko and Owen peering over one intensely, Owen pointing out little things and Toshiko nodding her head repetitively. Ianto, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen- _Late again?_ Gwen thought as she slid the door behind her, bolting it shut.

"Good morning!" Gwen called out, her voice echoing int eh cavernous lab. Without turning away from whatever it was they were doing, Owen and Toshiko gave her a small wave of their hands. Gwen waved to their backs, stalking over to where her desks at, cluttered with paperwork from a previous case.

"Gwen, do you have the report from last week?" Owen called over to her, walking to her desk. Nodding, Gwen dug through the piles of paper, careful not to knock them over. Once she found it, she handed Owen the manila folder, wiping her hands on her jeans.

"Thanks," he said, flipping it open and leafing through the pages, "hey, by any chance, have you heard of a superhero team called the Avengers?" Gwen shrugged.

"Not really, no," she said, pursing her lips, "why?"

"Figured," Owen sighed.

"Well, then why did you ask?" Gwen said.

"They got something to do with our newest case is all," he explained, then said, "follow me. Tosh will show you the video clips and what not."

As soon as Tosh had clicked play, Gwen widened her eyes- it looked as if they destroyed everything _but _the villain- which looked like it was doe sort of metallic armored alien.

"That doesn't look like Cardiff," Gwen pointed out.

"That's because it isn't," Toshiko said, pausing the video. Onscreen, a man in his early twenties wearing some sir tot spandex suit made to look like a flag- red, white and blue, He was holding a shield in mid-swing.

"Then where?" Gwen asked, tucking a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear. She pressed play again, watching as an entire city took damage.

"New York City, Manhattan, New York," Owen said, crossing his arms.

"America?" Gwen was confused, "but what does Torchwood have to do with America?" Owen shrugged, clasping his hands behind his head.

"Yo! Tosh!" Jack suddenly shouted from the balcony above, making the three of them jump.

"Y-yeah, Jack?" Tosh stammered out, pausing the video as quickly as she could.

"I'm gonna need the pterodactyl!"


	5. Chapter 5

"What do you need it for exactly…?" Toshiko asked hesitantly, not exactly sure she wanted to hear the answer t all. Knowing Jack though, he was going to tell her or keep it a secret- and he usually kept it secret.

"It's none of your concern," Jack shrugged it off, running a hand through his hair, then broadened his grin once he saw Gwen, "Nice to see you actually bothered coming in today!" Gwen felt herself blush and she nodded- why was she so nervous?

"Yes, uh…. where's Ianto?" she asked. Jack shrugged.

"Gave him the day off," Jack said simply. Owen gaped, his brows furrowing into angry points, his brown eyes narrowed in disdain.

"And yet we're stuck here?!" he barked, crossing his arms, "are you daft?"

"Nope, I'm busy," Jack replied, running up a flight of stairs to where Toshiko kept the pterodactyl: a cage at the top of the tower, a red button on the wall to keep it hidden from sight. Owen rolled his eyes, groaning.

"Don't get mad, Owen," Jack chastised him, "besides, what else were you gong to do today?"

"Much to your ignorance, I have plans and i would rather not spend my time cooped up in this hell-hole with you, mate!" Owen complained. Jack let out a laugh: a low, heart boom that was intimidating yet welcoming and warm all at the same time.

"Like what? A date?" Jack asked, slamming his hand on the button. A siren began wailing as the doors slid open, a red light sweeping the area. The pterodactyl crawled hesitantly out of the room before sniffing, widening its scaly wings. With a loud screech, it jumped, soaring around the institute, keeping close to the ceiling.

"As a matter of fact, yes!" Owen yelled back, trying his best to be heard over the pterodactyl screeching, "so put the fossil away and let us all go!"

"No can do, buddy!" Jack yelled down at them, "I need Gwen and Tosh to stay here, man the fort and all." Toshiko and Gwen exchanged curious glances- if they were staying in Torchwood, what was Owen going to do? Not that there was that much to do- all she and Owen had been doing before Gwen had arrived was stare at the computer screens, watching security cameras like they were reality television shows.

"Then what's Owen going to do?" Gwen called up, cupping her hands over her mouth as Jack took a few steps back from the railing. With a few bounding leaps, Jack hurtled himself over the balcony.

"Jack!" Gwen screeched, her heart leaping in her chest. Toshiko placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing tentatively as the three of them stared up at the balcony. Owen was hunched over, knees bent as he waited for something- anything to crash to the ground on him. Before they could shout his name a second time, the pterodactyl flew past, and on its back was Jack, who had a smug grin on his face.

"You fucking bastard!" Owen shouted with relief, "you could have well bloody died you know!"

"And i was not about to clean up that mess, let me tell you," Toshiko said under her breath to Gwen, who let out a nervous chuckle.

"But I can't!" Jack countered to Owen, giving him a small wave as a hatch in the ceiling opened, revealing a dark nighttime sky. Stars decorated the blackness like rhinestones on velvet, creating maps and constellations of all sorts. A look of worry crossed Owen's face when Jack had shouted that last sentence- _What does he mean by that?_

"Anyway- Gwen and Tosh! Man the fort while I go back!" Jack ordered, "and Owen! Enjoy your date!" Owen gave him a suspicious look as they watched Jack steer the creature towards the sky, disappearing into the night. The metal groaned as the hatch slid closed.

"Bloody insane, he is," Owen commented with a shake of his head. Gwen grinned, crossing her arms.

"Does he do that often then?" she asked, watching as Owen pulled over a chair, collapsing into it with a heavy sigh.

"Usually no," Owen said, "I've never seen I'm do that before." Toshiko nodded in agreement, her mouth a thin line- clearly, she was impressed, lath ought it was a bit difficult for Gwen to tell.

"Why do we even have that thing?" Toshiko asked, more to herself then either of the others.

"He said something weird though…." Owen trailed off, clicking his fingers against the plastic arms of the chair, his nails digging into the cracked design.

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked.

"When I was shouting?" he suggested.

"About him killing himself by jumping?" Gwen said. Owen nodded, continuing, "Yeah, that. When I was shouting that he was going to kill himself by jumping, he said the weirdest thing…"

"Well, instead of hinting about it, just get to the point then, will you?" Toshiko said, rolling her eyes. Owen waved his fingers at her as if he were swatting away a fly buzzing annoyingly in his ear.

"I was getting to that!" he snapped, then coughed, saying, "When I said he was going to kill himself, he said 'But I can't!' with that stupid grin of his and then flew off!" Toshiko cocked her head, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"But I can't?" she echoed. Owen nodded.

"What did he mean by that?" Toshiko said. Owen shrugged, pursing his lips.

"How am i supposed to know?!" he exclaimed. Gwen shrugged.

"Then why bring it up?" Gwen said.

"Well, i work with you, I thought you might want to know!" Owen said with a sarcastic drawl, brown eyes bugging out.

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure he's joking," Gwen said, a little uneasy, She knew what Jack had meant by that statement- but did the others? Obviously not, Gwen thought, they didn't see him get shot and come back like I did….

In fact, the memory was still clear as day: Susie Costello (Torchwood's former mechanic) was about to shoot her with a gun. But then she had shot Jack instead….

….And he had survived the bullet to his head, smack in the middle of his forehead. But instead of dripping blood, he had simply… _absorbed_ the bullet…..

"…..Earth to Gwen?" Toshiko's voice broke through her thoughts, and Gwen found them giving her concerned glances.

"S-sorry," she stuttered, shoving her hands nervously in the pockets of her leather coat.

"What was that, love?" Owen inquired, "you look like you saw a ghost for a second!" Gwen shook her head, biting her lower lip.

"It was nothing, don't…. don't worry about it," she said simply. Owen shrugged- it was better sometimes, to accept things ins tea dog pushing for answers- as the case he usually and with women.

"Anyway…" he said awkwardly, sucking in his already sallow cheeks, "I should probably get going, so, good luck here and all!" With a few polite farewells, Owen was about to stalk down the hall when Toshiko called after him, "I hope you don't mmd me asking, but who's the lucky lady?"

"The Devil Himself," Owen joked.

"Come on, really!" Toshiko begged, "who is she?"

"A fiery redhead named Natasha," Owen answered, a look of whimsy glinting in his eyes. Gwen laughed, waving him away.

"Well, go meet Natasha," she said, "I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to be stood up by the likes of you!" Owen rolled his eyes, swiveling on his heels and walking down the hall, the door slamming behind him as he disappeared around the bend. Sighing, Toshiko gestured to the computers.

"Shall we start then?" she said.

"I assume so!" Gwen agreed, occupying the chair that Owen had been sitting in only a few moments before, watching as Toshiko plopped herself down and began rapidly typing, her fingers almost a blur as she pulled up a few more videos along with some articles, filling Gwen in on everything she could about the Avengers.


	6. Chapter 6

Their meeting place was a quaint little tea shop, next-door to an old rickety brownstone that had undergone some construction. The green awning blocked out the sun for the most part, but Owen squinted anyway- it was hard to spot anyone in a big crowd. Brown eyes darting from one person to another, he sipped his Guiness beer lazily, his fingers becoming slick with condensation.

"Owen Harper?" a voice asked, making the doctor jump. Turning, he was looking at a woman- probably in her twenties- with brown eyes and a head of short red hair, the color looking almost like a fire-truck, but only barely able to pass as natural.

"You must be Miss Romanoff, love?" Owen asked, getting up to shake her hand. The woman took his hand, her grip vise-like, nearly crushing his fingers.

"Please," she said simply as he pulled out a chair for her, call me Natasha." Owen nodded, smiling nervously.

"Alright, Natasha," he said, "…um, I don't suppose you would like anything to eat?" Natasha shrugged, crossing her legs, her foot bobbing idly.

"That's why we're here, isn't it?" Natasha joked, a smirk playing on her red lipsticked mouth. Owen laughed, holding his beer glass tighter.

"Funny," he said, "I like that." Natasha looked around, then snapped her fingers, saying, "Waitress!" Owen gave her a confused look- was she rich that she felt the need to snap her fingers at people? Did she have the sort of privileged life where people waited on her hand and foot? A blond fir no older then nineteen or twenty strolled over. She wore a black waistcoat with matching pants and a white button down shirt. On her neck was a silk bow tie and a towel was draped over her arm, notepad in hand.

"Hello," she said cheerfully, "my name is Rose and I'll be your server today." Owen pursed his lips, watching as Natasha picked up one of the menus that were sitting on the table, flipping through it as if she were skimming a book, a bored look etched into her features.

"Um, what's this?" she said, pointing to an item. The waitress- Rose, as her name tag and herself declared- peered over and soon they were discussing the different types of cream in eclairs. _I wonder if she's American?_ Owen thought, staring at her as she spoke. Her accent wasn't British, that was for sure, but it also wasn't Scottish…

"Owen?" Natsha's voice broke through his thoughts, pulling him back into reality.

"Sorry, what?" he asked suddenly. Rose was looking at him patiently, smile on her face.

"What would you like to order, sir?" she asked patiently.

"Oh, um, I'll just have the fish and chips then…? You serve that right?" Owen asked, rubbing his eyes. Rose nodded, scrawling messily on the notepad.

"Your food will be here shortly," she said, then waltzed away, blond hair being disarrayed by the wind. Natasha scoffed.

"How come it will be here shortly if sh just ordered it?" she muttered. Owen raised an eyebrow in confusion.

z"I'm sorry?" he asked.

"Think about it," Natasha said, "if we just ordered it, then it will take some time to get here due to the fact that it will take time to actually cook." Owe shrugged.

"Yeah, but they'll probably rush it like other tea shops do," he added.

"That may be the case, but even so, you also have to take into account the number of people here," Natasha said, gesturing to other hungry citizens that sat around them. Indeed, there were many people there that day.

"Well, let me ask you something," Owen said, clasping his hands on the table.

"Shoot," she said.

"Your accent," he said, "I can't place it."

"That's not a question," she shook her head.

"Well, what is it?"

"What's yours?" Natasha countered, leaning her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hand.

"That's obvious, isn't i, love?" Owen said, "but what about yours?"

"Well, in truth, it's American, but my parents were of Russian descent. I moved from Russia to America as a little girl, but never quite got rid of the accent," Natasha explain, tucking a strand of re chair behind her ear.

"Why would you get rid of it?" Owen asked. It made more sense now though- the undertone of the accent wasn't Scottish, nor British.

"Well, people weren't able to understand me," Natasha said, "so I tried getting rid of it for other people's convenience." Owen nodded understandingly.

"Well, at least you didn't have to get rid of that pretty face of yours," Owen complimented, which succeeded in making her turn as red as her hair.

"I may have to kill you later, she joked, kicking him under the table. Owen let out a hoot, eyes crinkling at the corners as he winded his smile.

"Playing footsie, now are we?" he laughed.

"Yu wish!" Natasha laughed, pushing herself away from the table. HEr chair screeched as it scratched along the pavement, "Come on." She slung her bag over her shoulder, dusting off her dress.

"what?" Owen asked, watching as she slung her coat over her arm.

"Let's go," she said, nodding in the opposite direction of the tea shop.

"But the food didn't even come-"

"Who cares?" Natasha scoffed, "besides, I feel like if that waitress comes back you'll focus more on her then on me and we wouldn't want that." As soon s she said it, Rose appeared again, carefully carrying a large silver platter, the smell of fried fish and melted chocolate wafting through the air, filling his nostrils with cunning delight.

"Are you sure?" he asked, getting up hesitantly, "I mean-"

Natasha rolled her eyes, grabbing his hand, "Oh come on you worry-wart. She'll be fine." Her heels clicked on the concrete as she nearly dragged him down the street, leaving the waitress to sand at an empty table with a full tray of food.

"Wh-where are we going?!" Owen cried as she roughly pulled him around the corner.

"A safe house," she said simply, clutching his hand tightly until she drew thin lines of blood. Owen winced. _Wait-_ he thought, - _a safe house?! _Own jerked his hand away, the blood running down his hand and dripping off his fingers.

"I-I don't under-understand…." he gulped, taking a hesitant step back. Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Geez, all of you British men," she muttered with a scowl that ruined her pretty features, "see a pretty woman and you don't pay attention."

"Natasha-" Owen said, then found the ground rushing up at him, too eager to meet with his face, followed by a loud crack that rattled his brain inside his skull. As soon as he fell, Natasha held up a hand, saying, "That's enough, Clint."

Clint Barton- better known as Hawkeye- slung his gun back into its holster, sending a trail of saliva at Owen's unconscious body. The leather jacket he wore was pulled so tightly across his chest it looked as if the seams were going to rip if he made any sudden movements.

"He was getting too touchy with you," Clint whined, Natasha scowled.

"You say that about all my boyfriends," she said, now collect him and let's go."


	7. Chapter 7

Carefully, Jack landed the pterodactyl on the roof of the facility, keen not to park the creature too close toe the security guards camped out at the edge. Holding a finger to his lips, Jack ran off, quickly ducking behind a pole.

The security guard was oblivious, not paying attention to what was going on, but Jack figured they never did, considering they had the least exciting job at S.H.I.E.L.D. _What does that even stand for anyway?_ he thought, reaching into his pocket to pull out his De-Mat gun, unlocking the safety. _Whatever it means, someone obviously wanted the initials to spell shield… _ Silently, he crept out from behind the pole, gun raised and ready to pull the trigger. Still, the guard was not paying attention, sweeping a flashlight back and forth in front of him, merely making it loo as if he were dong his job.

"This makes my job so much more easier…" Jack mumbled to himself, a smile spreading on his face as he hesitantly took a step forward, raising the gun higher so he was aiming square at his back, his fingers shaking a bit as he did so. _Why am i shaking?!_ he thought with a sudden panic, _I should be able to do this! _ He aimed again, suddenly jumping when the pterodactyl let out a painful screech.

"Who's there?!" the guard soured, suddenly turning around, but it wasn't just an security guard, Jack realized.

"Oh, shit!" Jack spat out, holding the gun tighter in his hands, his knuckles turning white.

It was the man who worked as Fury's right-hand man. The bald one that had dragged him to their cursed prison lab where he was almost ripped apart for tests… The man widened his eyes- he obviously recognized Jack, which was not what Jack wants dot happen at all.

"You!" the man accused, pointing wildly.

"Well, I'm not anyone else!" Jack said with annoyance, his finger sliding n the trigger. The man pointed to the gun, "You aren't gonna…shoot me?"

"No I'm blowing bubbles," Jack said sarcastically, "yes I'm going to shoot! Geez…. why do you think i have a gun?!" The guard shook his head, straightening out the lapels of his suit- why he was wearing a suit, Jack didn't know, but he ignored the fact. It wasn't really important at the moment. The pterodactyl let out another roar, shuffling mindlessly in it's spot on the roof.

"What is that?" the man asked.

"It's nothing," Jack said.

The pterodactyl let out another yell, this time waddling over as best it could to nudge Jack's arm, much to the guard's surprise. Jack groaned.

"That doesn't look like nothing…" the man commented, widening his eyes.

"Listen, sir-"

"Agent Coulson," the man quipped, keeping this eyes on the pterodactyl.

"Ok, Coulson," Jack said, "it isn't want it looks like-"

"No, this is exactly what i think it looks like," Coulson said quietly.

"Okay, then what does it look like?" Jack asked.

"Insane," the agent said, "absolutely insane…." Jack laughed, lowering the gun.

"Yes, well, unless you were smoking some 'shrooms or something, it isn't insane," Jack said, point in got the dinosaur, "this is real. And you're gonna have to forget that you ever saw it or me."

"But why?" Coulson said, "you were able- and I'm assuming you did it- to bring back a species that has been extinct for billion sod years! You could change the future of science as we know it! Fury will want you!" Jack rolled his eyes.

"To what? Be his pet lab rat?" Jack asked, "I don't think so. And besides, last time I was here, he shot me in the head, so he and I aren't exactly on friendly terms."

"Shot in the head…." Coulsons aid to himself, then blurted, "That man was you?! The one dragged to the lab?!" Jack nodded, the pterodactyl nudging its nose affectionately in Jack's side.

"Okay, we get it!" Jack shouted, "just…."

"If you were shot int eh head…. that means you came back to life…. you-you're immortal!" Coulson shrikes with excitement, his voice echoing. He hadn't been this excited since he met and worked alongside the amazing Captain America, and that was pretty exciting in itself, helping revive a relic from the second world war.

"Scream it any louder, I don't the neighbors could hear you!" Jack hissed, running at the man, clapping a hand over his mouth. Immediately, Coulson stiffened. Leaning close, Jack's breathe as hot on the agent's skin as he whispered, "I have a gun, made with technology you could only dream of. If you don't want me to shoot, you do as I say and don't ask questions. Got it?" Jack narrowed his eyes menacing at Coulson as he nodded quickly. Jack let go of him, wiping his hand on his coat, "Good."

Beckoning Coulson to follow, he approached the pterodactyl, "Now, I need to get in there without getting caught."

"But you have been caught," Phil said.

"Maybe so, but they don't know that," Jack agreed, "now I need you to help me get in and amok sure Fury does not fin dmd at whatever costs necessary. Got it."

"sir, i don't think i can-" Phil began, but Jack shushed him with a glare. "Never mind. What else do you need me to do? Breach security?" Jack shook his head.

"I've got Tosh doing that for me as we speak," Jack said, much to Phil's confusion, "what I need you to do is hide the pterodactyl."

"What?"

"Hide the dinosaur!" Jack repeated, sending a punch t the agent's side, making his jump and double over with pain.

"That was not necessary…" he groaned, clutching his abdomen, Jack shrugged.

"Yeah, well, sometimes you have to do unnecessary things in order to get shit done," Jack said. After a few minutes of silence, he patted Phil on the back, adding, "And Phil?" Coulson gave him a quizzical look- he didn't remember telling Jack a first name, so how did he know….?

"How did you…..?"

"Listen, sweet cheeks," Jack grinned, "that isn't important. Just hide the pterodactyl, keep Fury out of my way and we'll be fine. Alright?" Phil nodded, about to touch the animal when Jack suddenly grabbed his hand, stopping him mid-way.

"He doesn't like when strangers touch him, by the way," Jack warned.

"What doe he do then?" Phil asked.

"Let's juste ay the last stranger who touched him became breakfast and leave it at that, okay?" Jack said, then smiled, giving Phil a salute, "Well, I'll be off!" Aiming the gun at the floor, Phil was about to protest when a blue beam shot out of the barrel, but instead of a bang and a cloy dog gunpowder, a large square hole appeared in the floor, revealing the activity going on inside. Before Agent Coulson could say anything, Jack suddenly leaned over and gave him a small peck on his cheek, jumping.

"….what am I gonna do with you?" Phil asked the dinosaur once Jack had disappeared, still feeling Jack's lips on his face. The animal merely yawned, curling itself up for a good night's sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Light flooded his vision as he opened his eyes, blinking furiously. Everything was blurry as he looked around, squinting as best he could, trying to get past everything that looked as if it were swimming. As far as he could tell, people were everywhere- but did he know any of them?

"Look, he's getting up," said a voice, deep and rough.

"Well, don't hit him like you did last time," said a voice, female this time. It sounded vaguely familiar to Owen as well…

"N-Natasha…?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes to clear them. The woman scoffed at him.

"Don't call me that, Doctor Harper," the woman said, "it's Agent Romanoff when you're here. Got it?" Owen looked up at her, her face leering and crude.

"Wh-what was that, love?" he asked warily, turning his attention from the man to Natasha. What had happened after they had turned the corner…?Natasha bent down, her dress shown goff an ample valley of cleavage in the process. Owen noticed the man was shifting, his eyes focused on her bosom.

"Listen, dearie," Natasha smirked, "let's just say our date wasn't working out for me." Owen raised an eyebrow in confusion. The man- _Didn't she call him Clint?_- was still focused on her breasts, a lewd grin on his face. Owen sat up, the wall cool against his back.

"Oi!" he snapped at Clint.

"Me?" Clint pointed to himself, genuinely confused.

"Yeah, you!" Owen quipped, his lips forming a thin line, "don't be nasty now!"

"What are you talking about?" Natasha demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. Owen jutted his chin at Clint.

"The bloody wanker was undressing you with his eyes, love!" Owen said defensively, "that isn't the way to treat a woman!" Natasha widened her eyes- Owen was probably the first person to call Clint out on his actions. She knew he looked at her like that, but she tried not to pay it any mind. Of course, now that Owen noticed, it made her feel… violated, she guessed. No man had ever defended her like that. She felt herself blush, then shrugged it off.

"Don't pay him any mind, Doctor Harper," Natasha said bluntly.

"But-"

"I will deal with him later," she cut him off, "for now, we would like to ask you a few questions."

"Alright… what then?" he asked. Clint had an annoyed look on his face, as if he and just swallowed a lemon whole.

"For starters, do you know of Norse mythology?" Natasha said, jeering over him. Owen shrugged. He wasn't particularly experienced in the area. he informed her thus. She sighed, rubbing her forehead, "Alright, well, have you at least heard of Loki?"

"God of Mischief, no?" he said. She nodded.

"Yes," she said, "we believe he has reason to associate with….. a colleague of yours, let's say." _Colleague…..?_ Owen thought, wrinkling his nose, _does she mean….? _

"….Jack," he mumbled, widening his eyes, "what would he want with Jack?"

"Not just Jack," Clint said, "all of you. Gwen Cooper, Toshiko….. Donovan Ianto…."

"Oh…. shit…" Owen muttered, shaking his head.

"….Susie Costello…." Clint rambled, counting on his fingers.

"Susie Costello is dead!" Owen blurted, "she killed herself!" Clint ignored him.

"….and yourself," he said finally, much to Owen's dismay, "Doctor Owen Harper."

"B-but…. what would he want with us?" Owen let out a nervous titter of a laugh, "I mean, we aren't anything special…

"That's where you're wrong, Doc," said a voice- male, lower then Clint's More demanding, really. Natasha and Clint immediately gave a stiff salute, Natasha righting herself.

"Saergent," She said with a nod. A blade man nodded back politely, his hands shoved in the pockets of a long black leather trench coat.

"Agent Romanoff, Agent Barton," he said, then he nodded to Owen, "I see you made it here safely. That's good."

"Safely?!" Owen panicked, his voice rising, "your little minions practically abducted me!"

"Well, beggars can't be choosers," the man said, holding out a hand, "Nick Fury. Director of S.H.I.E.L.D." Owen took his hand, shaking it with trembling fingers.

"Doctor Owen Harper," he answered, his voice now barely a whisper- who were these people and what did they want with him? With Torchwood?

"We have an issue dealing with Loki," Fury said, "and we need your help."

"Down to basics, huh?" Owen said under his breath as he stood up, crossing his arms. The leather of his jacket pulled over his muscles until it looked as if the seams were about to rip.

"Your director decided to take a little filed trip to my facility the other day," fury said suddenly. Owen was taken aback- was that why he left so suddenly.

"So that's why he took the pterodactyl…" he said to himself.

"What was that?" Natasha asked, looking at him curiously. Owen shook his head, putting on a smile, saying, "Nothing, nothing. Do, proceed." Clint rolled his eyes.

"You British are all so fucking polite, it makes my skin crawl," he complained with a shake of his head.

"Well, you Americans are bloody bastards, so do kindly shut up," Owen barked at him, taking the man by surprise. Fury laced a hand on his shoulder, fingers digging into his skin until he thought the man would dislocate it.

"I would appreciate if you would cooperate, Doctor Harper," Fury said, eyes- or eye, since he wore an eyepatch- in disapproval. Owen jerked his arm away, mumbling, "Whatever, you bloody wanker."

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't here that," Fury said, "for now, follow me." Shaking his head, Owen reluctantly followed, keeping his eyes on Natasha- this was definitely a surprise, her being an agent. Then again, she hadn't really said much about herself on their date- if being abducted counted as a date. His footsteps echoed on the floor as he walked through an area filled with computers and people, all wearing the same sort of black or blue uniform, the small bird looking logo stitched on the breast. A woman with her brown hair in a bun was leaning over a man who sat at a computer, arguing with him over coordinates or something of the like.

"How come he isn't wearing the same uniform as the others?" Owen pointed out. Indeed, he was wearing not the uniform, but a pair of jeans and cowboy boots, paired with a Black Sabbath tee shirt, the decal faded on the front.

"He isn't an agent," Fury said dissuasively, "now I would appreciate if you focused on the task at hand, Doctor Harper."

"You haven't even said anything!" Owen protested, keeping his eyes on the man- specifically the shirt. Although he knew it just wasn't possible, it looked as if there was something… _glowing_, under the fabric, as if it had a pulse of its own. Cracking his knuckles, he approached the woman and the man, ignoring Fury shouting for him to stop.

"Excuse me, sir," the woman said immediately, hands on he rips as she stood up. She was a good two inches taller then Owen, but he wasn't focused on that, keeping his attention on the man. Owen waved her away idly.

"You're excused, whatever," Owen answered, pulling up an empty chair that sat a few feet away, "What are you doing?" Often, back in Torchwood, he would watch Toshiko work with the computers, since he wasn't exactly the technology whiz himself.

"British?" the man said, "well, that's new. Tell me, is the Queen really a Bond Girl?" Owen chuckled, cracking the faintest of a smile.

"Well, she does have the hots for David Beckham, I'll tell you that right now," Owen joked, then traced his finger on the screen, "but what do these numbers here mean?"

"Well, Captain hop over there said they had a brake in, so we have to figure out where he was and when. These are just rough coordinates and times." Owen felt sweat bead on his forehead- they were talking about Jack, he knew.

"Doctor Harper," Fury called, his voice curt, "now."

"So you're a doctor too?" the man pointed out. Owen nodded, clasping his hands behind his head as he leaned back in the chair.

"Yeah- yourself?" Owen asked. The man gave a curt nod in agreement, holding out a hand "Nah. Just kidding. Blood and guts aren't really my thing." Owen took his hand, giving it a small shake, quick and hard.

"Doctor Owen Harper," he introduced himself.

"Tony Stark," the man said. Clearing his throat, he said, "so what brings you here?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"We usually don't go to other countries unless it's a dire situation," Tony explained, "an well, here we are in Cardiff, England."

"Doctor Harper!" Fury shouted, making him jump.

"You Americans are all so bloody pushy!" Owen shouted in frustration, pushing the chair so it wheeled into a desk, falling over with a loud bang as he got up and followed the director. As he and the two agents turned a corner, Owen stole a quick glance back at Tony Stark. The woman was now with him again, chattering away about coordinates.

"Doctor Harper, your attention," Natasha demanded, snapping her fingers in his face.

"Yes, love?" he said, his distracted thoughts blowing away on the wind.

"Don't call me that," she demanded, then added, "we need you to watch these security tapes. Identify the person who broke in."

"But you already know who it is," Owen shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I know," she said, "but we have a special assignment for you, Doctor." The doors slid open and another man walk din, wearing a button down purple shirt with brown dress pants, a pair of loafers on his feet. Natasha gestured to him, "Doctor Owen Harper, meet Doctor Bruce Banner."

"Doctor Banner, this is-" Fury began, then Owen shushed him, "I can introduce myself, thanks!" With a roll of his eyes, he nodded to Doctor Banner, saying, "Doctor Owen Harper." Banner nodded.

"Pleasure," he said simply, then beckoned Owen to follow, "Agent Romanaoff, Agent Barton. Director Fury. Please give us a few minutes?" They all idly agreed, walking away, Fury adding, "task all the time you need."

"So, what now?" Owen asked once they and left.

"Come to my lab and I'll show you," Bruce said. Owen chuckled.

"Last time someone said that to me I almost got laid," Owen reminisced. Banner ignored the comment, instead sliding open a glass door that revealed a medical station- a few screens were on one side, flickering on and off opposite a metal examination table, the sheet mussed and wrinkled. Tools sat on a small table next to it, the implements in disarray.

"Are you going to dissect me…?" Owen asked warily, caution creeping into his voice. Now Banner chuckled, shaking his head.

"No, Doctor Harper, I am not going to dissect you," Banner assured him. Owen let out breath he hadn't realized he was holding in- a sigh of relief.

"Thank heavens for that."

"What I do want you to do," Banner cleared his throat, "is watch this security tape." Leaning over to reach behind the televisions, he produced a single cassette tape, a white label sticking to the black square naming it "Security." Tossing the tape to Owen, he fumbled as he went to catch it before clutching it protectively.

"What for?" he asked.

"Just pop it into the player over there and you'll see," Banner instructed, pointed to a dust VCR. Owen shoved the tape into the mouth of the player. A whirring noise immediately started up.

"What exactly does this have to do with myself and the others, exactly?" Owen said as the screen turned blue, then revealed the lab. On screen Banner and the other man- _Tony Stark_, Owen remembered, were leaning over a body, the face obscured.

"You're examining a body- nothing I haven't done myself," Owen pointed out. Banner tapped the screen with his index finger, pausing the video. He pointed to the bod on the table.

"do you recognize the body?" he asked, tapping it.

"Why would I recognize a dead man?" Owen asked.

"Do you recognize him though?" Banner repeated. Grumbling, Owen peered at the screen, trying to focus on the man's image, although it was a bit blurry. Although there was a smudge of blue….

"….Jack?" Owen breathed softly. Banner furrowed his brows in concern as Owen's eyes widened, as big as saucers.

"Jack?" Banner asked, crossing his arms.

"That's impossible….." Owen whispered. And it should have been- hadn't he just seen Jack back at torch wood Institute? _It can't be…._ Owen thought, sucking in his cheeks, let tin gout a deep breath.

"Doctor Harper, tell me who this Jack is," Banner said.

"I…. I work with him," Owen gulped, adam's apple bobbing.

"Where do you work with him?"

"Torchwood," he answered. He could feel himself shaking now, his fingers visibly trembling.

"What was his position?" Banner pressed.

"Leader of the team….." Owen trailed off, keeping his eyes on the screen, on Jack's dead body….

It just wasn't possible. It couldn't be real.

"What did your team do, Doctor Harper?" Banner asked. Owen whipped his head to face Bruce, his mouth forming a thin line of disapproval.

"Is this an interrogation?" he asked, his eyes flitting to the corners of the room, "are you taping me?!" Banner opened his mouth, then closed it. After a few minutes, he sighed, saying, "We keep the security cameras on at all times for safety reasons."

"Bloody bastards!" Owen spit out a curse, going for the door. Gripping the edge, he tried pulling it open but the glass door was slick, result in gin his fingers sliding around with frustration as he shouted a string of derogatory terms, each one worse than the last.

"Doctor Harper, just calm down," Banner said, closing his eyes, chest heaving up and down. Turning back to the man, Owen noticed a light sheen of sweat on Banner's forehead, and he stopped fidgeting with the door.

"Please," he said, "please let me leave." Owen hated the way his voice cracked, sounding like a schoolboy who hadn't yet hit puberty. Banner rubbed his forehead. It was obvious to Owen that he was trying his best to stay calm- _But what for? _

"I know this isn't the ideal situation for you," Bruce explained, "it isn't for me, but I'm just doing what Fury asked. Now please just tell me: what did your team do?"

"We…. we fought aliens…" Owen hesitated, convinced that he sounded absolutely insane, "…harbored alien technology. What's it to you?"

"Because we here at S.H.I.E.L.D. do the same thing," Banner said, looking a bit uneasy.

"Really now…?" Owen nodded, cracking a nervous smile. Banner nodded, adding, "Although our aliens involve gods. So I guess they aren't really aliens to begin with." Owen bit his lip- this man definitely was not sane, although the same couldn't really be said for himself, now could it? Owen pressed his hands against the glass, trying to force the door open. Usually sliding doors allowed you to push it open in case of an emergency, but he had no such luck.

"Listen, Doctor Harper," Bruce said, "No one is here to kill you. Please just…" Out of the corner of his eye, Owen saw Banner twitch, his head suddenly cracked to the side.

"Is there any other way to bloody open the door?!" he muttered to himself fin a panic, his fingers groping for a latch or knob- something to get it open!

"i don't work for S. .L.D. myself," Banner said suddenly, making Owen freeze.

"Then why… then why are you letting them keep you here?" Owen said, not turning around. Outside, he saw a few agents traipsing about.

"I'm not," Banner said, "they called me in. I had no choice in the matter."

"What about me….?" Owen asked, his voice a hushed whisper. Banner shook his head, pursing his lips.

"I'm afraid not, Doctor Harper," Banner said, "and neither do the rest of you." Owen bit his lip, and he felt a gush of warmth flow into his mouth, between his teeth, over the tongue. Lifting a hand to his lips, his fingers came away red.

"I just bit my lip," he said plainly, rubbing his fingers on his face, a smear of crimson dashed across his face like paint.

"Doctor Harper, are you alright?" Banner asked.

"I just bit my lip…" Owen repeated, still trying to process what Banner and said. He turned his eyes up at the man, who waited patiently- a bit too patiently at that, too calm. _Just a moment ago, he had seemed like he was trying to hide his anger…_ Owen thought, then gulped.

"i just bit my lip…." he said for a third time, receiving a scowl from the man as he added, "and you're asking em if I'm alright?"

"Well, it seems like… like your fine now," Banner said exasperated, "now what was it that Jack came here for?" Owen shook his head. On the tape, Jack was obviously dead- they were trying to cut him up…..

"….but I just saw him…." Owen said in a hushed whisper, trailing off, "….and if he died…."

"Doctor Harper?" Banner tried cutting in, but Owen waved at him, as if shooing away an annoying fly.

"….Why didn't we get called in to collect the body…?" Owen asked himself, completely ignoring Banner.

"Collect the body?" banner asked, trying to get in on what Owen was talking about, but he could see it was n use. Owen was now in his own little world, oblivious to anything or anyone that was trying to get his attention. He could have become the Hulk- gotten angry and started smashing the place- but that wouldn't have really helped. _And it would only freak him out more_, Banner thought.

"Torchwood- whenever anyone who works with us dies, we go collect the body…" Owen began to explain, "…we collect all their belongings, wipe the records…"

"Is that protocol?" Banner asked, "erasing someone from existence?" Owen glared at him, eyes bugging out in annoyance.

"Well, when you're with us it is!" he said in a panic, "For example! Susie Costello!"

"You said she killed herself," Banner said, reflecting not eh past conversation. Owen nodded.

"Yeah, she did!" he said, "but then instead of burying her like normal, we have to collect all her belongings and put them in boxes! We have to preserve the body and put it in the morgue-"

"You guys have a morgue?"

"Well, yeah- I work there, but that isn't the point!" Owen cried, his face starting to get red, "the point is I had to wipe my colleague from existence! Not once but twice!" Bruce raised an eyebrow in question, asking, "Twice?"

Owen shook his head, clenching and unclenching his fingers.

"It isn't…. it isn't important!" Owen said in frustration, "I just want to get out of here! Please!"

"I have too," Banenr said, "but we have no such luck, Doctor." Instantly, Owen let out a cry of rage, screaming as he was fed up with all the questions, all the riddles.

"You fucking Americans!" he screamed, "all your stupid riddles and nagging! Just let me go!" Neither rod them noticed th door slide open, the soft click as it was shut again.

"I'm afraid we can't do that, Doctor Harper," came Fury's voice, making Owen jump.

"And why the fuck not?!" Owen yelled.

"Because we have a situation," Fury said matter-of-factly- as if that cleared things up.

"Then bloody take care of it on your own instead of kidnapping me!" Owen screeched, his accent making it slightly hard for the two to understand him, "just keep me out of it!"

"I'm afraid we can't," Fury said, clasping his hands in front of him.

"Let me go or I swear I'll shove your bloody bollocks in a blender-"

"That sounds lovely, but we really should save personal activities for later," Fury cut him off bluntly.

"You- you aren't serious…" Owen faltered, taking a staggering step backwards, his already pale face getting paler.

"Unfortunately for you, I am," Fury said, "and it involves your friend."

"LEt me guess: Jack," Owen answered, clenching his jaw. Fury nodded, a sarcastic smile on his face.

"That's the one," he confirmed, "and, to make things interesting, guess who has his sights on him?"

Owen rolled his eyes, "Who, you bloody bastard?"

"…..Loki?" Banner suggested, a look of concern flashing in his eyes. Now it was Owen's turn to be confused.

"Loki- as in, God of Mischief of Norse Mythology?" Owen cracked a smile as Banner nodded, letting out a sarcastic laugh, tears stinging his eyes as his shoulders were suddenly wracked with sobs, "Oh God! You fuckers are insane!"

"We get that a lot," Fury said, his tone cold and serious, "but we have work to do."


	9. Chapter 9

"Hey, look at that!" Toshiko exclaimed suddenly, causing Gwen to almost spill the burning hot coffee all over the floor. Carefully, she regained her balance, placing the cups on the table next to the keyboard. Tucking her hair behind her ears, Gwen asked, "What is it now?"

Since Jack and Owen had left, nothing interesting had happened. All they and been doing was playing poker, eating all the food Ianto kept in one of the rooms to cook for them- nothing really worth wasting time on. The cards were strewn about on the table, the game forgotten- they didn't really keep score anyway, forgetting who was winning. _Whatever_, Gwen thought, picking up her coffee, taking a sip. As soon as she let the coffee wash through her mouth, she burned her tongue, her throat singing as she swallowed. The coffee itself didn't even taste good- not enough sugar.

"Look at this," she said, tracing her finger along he screen- _S.H.I.E.L.D. security cameras_, "Gwen thought. Nodding, she sighed, "what are we looking at now?"

"These two here: the redhead and the man," tosh said, tapping the screen on two people, "look at what they're doing…." Squinting at the image, Gwen could barely make out a third person…

"Are they carrying someone?" she asked. tosh nodded, pressing a few keys on the board, zooming in as far as she could. the picture was slightly blurry, but even pixelated, she could make out a pair of legs, arms and a head….

"That definitely looks like a man," Tosh said in agreement, "but who exactly….?" The third man's face was obscured from view, the back of his head facing them. Glancing over it a second time, Gwen saw the brown hair, the white shirt….

"Is that…. a lab coat he's wearing?" she asked. Tosh shrugged.

"I can't really be sure," Tosh said, "I mean, it could be a plain tee shirt for all we know."

"But… it looks…." Gwen trailed off, shaken gear head as she racked her brain for the right word.

"Familiar?" Tosh finished for her. Gwen snapped her fingers, her ahdn slapping her thigh as she let it fall to her side.

"Yes! It looks familiar!" she exclaimed, "kind of like Owen!" Toshiko raised an eyebrow in question- There was no way Owen and went with Jack to S.H.I.E.L.D.

"But he said he had a date," Toshiko said.

"Well, he's with a woman, isn't he?" Gwen scoffed.

"Yes, but that can't be his date," Toshiko said with a shrug.

"He said he was dating a red hair woman, right?"

"Well, yes, but lots of people have red hair, Gwen. It could be anyone!"

"Well, can we get a read on her?" Gwen asked, "a file or something?"

"Give me a name and I can run it throughout eh records," Toshiko nodded.

"Owen said the woman's name was Natalie? No, that doesn't sound right…."

"Nadia?" Toshiko suggested. Gwen shook her head. It was definitely something that ended with an 'A' -but what? _It can't be that, can it?_ she thought, then said, "Um, try… try Natasha?"

"Alright then…." Toshiko's nails clicked against the plastic as she began typing, a stream of weird numbers and symbols swimming onscreen. Toshiko clicked on seething and an image popped up of a woman with short red hair that was slightly curled at the ends. Her blue/brown eyes were staring bored back at them, her full plump lips pursed in annoyance. From what the picture allowed, she was wearing some sort of back leather, the collar reaching halfway up her neck.

"Natasha Romanoff," Toshiko read aloud, then pulled up the video to compare side by side.

"Red hair," Gwen pointed out obviously, "and the same black clothes."

"Shit!" Toshiko muttered under her breath. Gwen sent a look her way, asking, "What? What's shit?"

"That's her alright," Toshiko grumbled, "and she's part of the Avengers. So is the man who's helping her." She pointed to the man with brown hair not eh video screen, "Clint BArton, codename, Hawkeye."

"And Owen didn't tell us?" Gwen exclaimed.

"Well, he obviously didn't know if he got kidnapped!" Toshiko snapped back, then, "sorry, didn't mean to get worked up or anything." Gwen nodded.

"It's alright, Tosh," she said, "but how are we going to get there? Jack to the pterodactyl."

"Get where, may I ask?"

Snapping their heads up, they saw Ianto stride in, wearing the same black suit as the day before- in fact, he probably always wore the same black suit unless he went out on missions with them.

"Ianto!" Toshiko greeted him with surprise, "Jack said he gave you the day off!" Ianto shrugged.

"It got boring," Ianto said, a smile playing at the corners of his lips, "besides, no one I kno outside of Torchwood is as interesting as you guys."

"Thanks for the ridiculously cheesy sentiment, Ianto," Tosh said waving him over, "but we have a problem on our hands!" Bounding up the stairs, he joined them at the computer.

"What is it, Jack needs coordinates?" he asked. Gwen shook her head, pointing to the screen.

"No," Gwen instructed, "look there." Ianto peered over Toshiko's shoulder, following her finger. His eyes widened as realization set in.

"Is that Owen…?" he asks din astonishment. Both women nodded.

"Yeah- we need to get him out of there," Tosh said, "I mean, I know Jack is there too, but I can't get a clear signal on his phone." Nodding, Ianto said, "That would make sense, yes. But how did Owen get there?"

Toshiko pulled up Natasha Romanoff's profile, letting Ianto read through the information.

"Her?" he said, "they went on a date?"

"Yes, but she kidnapped him, Ianto," Gwen explained.

"What would they want with him?" Ianto said, "he can't rally give them anything, can he?"

"He could be forced to give them information about us, about Torchwood," Tosh said, the scenario already clear in her head: Owen, tied to a chair, a fluorescent lamp stinging in his eyes as Natasha held a knife to his neck, demanding answers….. Toshiko shook her head. She knew it probably wasn't happening, but she couldn't help herself.

"Well, even if he isn't," Gwen assured Toshiko pointedly, "we still have to go get him before he gets hurt or Jack finds out." Ianto nodded in agreement.

"Alright then," he said, reaching into his pockets, "let me just get the keys to the SUV and we can be on our way!"


End file.
